Traditionally, hiking boots rank among the least fashionable things one can possibly wear. Long prizing functionality over style—after all, no one looks cool Nike Blazer Mujer after dying of exposure—outdoorswear by and large has a sad aesthetic history of heinous silhouettes, dull earth tones and grumpily functional soles. They're well-suited for hiking up a Nike Air Max 90 Womens mountain, and keeping your footsies dry as you trek through mud, but anathema to style, which explains why they are the preferred footwear of cheerful middle Nike Air Max Zero Damen aged white people and gamers.

Last month, something changed. I had just gotten out of Blade Runner 2049, and spent a large portion of the film admiring Ryan Gosling's grim,Nike Air Max Command Mujer militaristic detective outfit, especially his tactical boots. I'd later find out that those boots are real life cop boots made by security/law enforcement outfitter Bates. But at the time, I just wanted some kind of techy, futuristic looking boots for keeping my feet dry through the dreary Portland winter.

I started, foolishly, by Nike Air Vapormax Damendoing what I usually do, which is to look in the most expensive possible place: Luxury fashion retailer Ssense. After spending a couple of hours browsing $480 duck boots and $1000 Nike Air Max TN Mujer Givenchy (lol) combat boots I came to my senses and realized I should look somewhere much, much cheaper.I had bought a pair of Adidas Terrex Swift R Mid GTX early Nike Air Max 2017 Femme this year at the Adidas Employee Store in anticipation of a long weekend hiking in Manzanita and Cannon Beach. I thought they were fairly typical, inexpensive hiking boots Nike Roshe Run Womens ($82.50 down from $165, woo!), but as I was checking out the shop assistant explained to me that because the entire upper of the boot was lined with Gore-Tex and ripstop fabric the tongue Nike Air Max 1 Womens affixed to the insides of the shoe, it is basically waterproof up to my ankles.And so they are. On a wet, muddy hike to Cape Falcon outside of Manzanita Nike Air Max 1 Damen in April, my Terrex Swift's repelled ankle deep sludge with ease, comfortably keeping my feet dry through five miles of uphill hiking. The waterproofing was astounding. After Nike Free 5.0 Femme coming off especially gnarly passages with a half inch of mud adhered to the boots, I'd dip my feet in a puddle or stream, the muck washing away while the boot remained Nike Air Max 270 Femme dry.